Former CENTCOM commander warns Hormuz blockade is just first step against Iran

The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz may be just the beginning, a former top CENTCOM commander warned Sunday, telling Fox News that the measure is just the “first step” in “coming after” the Iranian regime.

“We made it very clear — passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and getting rid of your nuclear program is indisputable. You have to meet that, [and] they did not,” retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward said while appearing on “One Nation with Brian Kilmeade.”

“We’re not going to play your game. We’re not going to be strung on, it’s over,” he continued. “We’re cranking up the pressure. We’re coming after you, and this is just the first step of that.”

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Harward’s remarks came on the heels of President Trump announcing an “all in, all out” blockade on the Strait of Hormuz after hours-long negotiations failed to produce a peace deal with the regime over the weekend. The blockade went into effect Monday at 10 a.m. ET.

Harward praised the decision to implement the blockade, telling Brian Kilmeade that the president and vice president deserve to be “salute[d]” for taking action.

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But beyond the blockade, Harward said the U.S. has the capability to monitor and stop vessels throughout the region, including using helicopter assets and Marine units to board ships.

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He called these potential actions part of what may be a “much more escalatory approach and strategy to increase pressure on the regime.”

“I still can’t emphasize enough how important this is inside Iran, the pressure on the regime from the people and how this signals to them how weak they are, how strong the U.S. [is], and, as the president has said, help is on the way, and it’s there now,” he added.